You heard that right: the GOAT of Hard Enduro, Graham Jarvis, is switching rides once again at 51 years old—and he’s sticking with electric!
Having already proven with his JARV-E project that electric power can deliver top performance even in the Hard Enduro World Championship, he is now taking on a Chinese machine. The partnership was already hinted at during EICMA, and now things are shifting into high gear: Arctic Leopard Moto is bringing Jarvis on board to leverage the insights gained from the JARV-E concept and take the production XD Pro to a whole new level.
As Jarvis himself points out, extreme off-road racing requires neither 80 hp nor a traditional clutch. Thanks to instant torque delivery, working the clutch simply becomes obsolete. Of course, even a Hard Enduro legend like Graham needed a brief adjustment period to adapt to the change.
The newly formed Arctic Leopard Jarvis Factory Team is throwing the XD Pro development project straight into competitive racing effective immediately. Whether radical JARV-E parameters will be introduced right away, or if they will initially rely on the familiar XD Pro setup, remains a trade secret for now.
Arctic Leopard XD Pro
With nearly 50 hp and a starting weight of under 90 kilos, this electric machine is taking the fight directly to traditional combustion bikes—which carry a good 20 to 25 kilos more in this power class. A Stark VARG even weighs a hefty 29 kilos more! The real ace up its sleeve, however, is its uncompromising handling: an 890-millimeter seat height and a compact 2,040-millimeter overall length make the bike extremely agile, while a top speed of 120 km/h is easily enough for fast liaison stages. At the heart of this workhorse is a high-capacity 74 V, 76 Ah lithium-ion battery.
The chassis also takes a more compact approach: up front, a 43 mm fork provides 250 mm of suspension travel, while a rear shock with a 40 mm piston and identical travel ensures the necessary traction. The rubber comes in sizes 80/100-21 and 120/90-18. According to the manufacturer, a theoretical range of up to 200 kilometers is possible—at a cruising speed of 40 km/h, mind you. Still, those are just the specs of the production bike, which retails for a lean $6,599. Exactly how Jarvis modifies his factory ride and tailors it to his specific needs is something the competition won’t get to marvel at until race day.
For Graham Jarvis and the minds behind JARV-E, this deal opens up entirely new possibilities. With the backing and muscle of an established manufacturer, their know-how can be translated into production models on a completely different scale. It will be thrilling to watch what kind of magic Jarvis pulls off on this bike—after all, he is always good for a surprise. And on top of everything else, the deal should give his retirement fund a nice boost, too—and rightfully so!
Source / Pictures: Graham Jarvis, Arctic Leopard
